England women’s hockey may have suffered heartbreak at the Unibet EuroHockey Championship back in 2013, but Giselle Ansley insists the side are ready to put that experience firmly behind them as they host the tournament this time around.

The 23-year-old defender from Kingsbridge was part of the side that went down on penalty shuffles to Germany in 2013’s gold-medal match, after the elation of defeating Olympic Champions and hosts Holland in the semis.

Team GB have already clinched their Rio berth, thanks to a World League gold medal earlier this year in Valencia, meaning England go into the tournament in London – which they otherwise would’ve had to win – with a huge weight off their shoulders.

And Ansley, who plays her club hockey for English champions Surbiton, believes this side are a lot stronger with two years more experience under their belts.

“As a squad we are obviously proud of that silver medal we got back in 2013, but a lot has happened to us since then,” she said.

“We’ve had a number of new faces come into the squad, and we’re a lot better together two years down the line.

“We will use some of the experiences of last time to spur us on in front of a home crowd in London, and hopefully go one better.

“I played in London last summer, so I’ve had experience of a home crowd already and to have that again will be phenomenal here.

“The stadium is massive and a lot of the sessions are sold out, so it will be amazing to play here and have that crowd on our side again.

“With it being the Olympic legacy stadium there is a real vibe around this place, and of course a lot of the girls played in that London campaign too.”

England fans can be encouraged by Team GB’s form in Valencia; they managed seven victories and only conceded twice – with Scotland’s Emily Maguire the only GB player not involved with the England side.

And despite already booking their spot on the plane to Rio, Ansley is adamant now is the best time to start recording as many victories as possible over their potential Olympic medal rivals.

She added: “Obviously I’m really, really excited to get going for the EuroHockey Champs. I’ve been in the stadium and seeing the stands and the big screen up makes you realise how big an event it’s going to be.

“We’ve managed the Olympic qualification as Team GB, and now we’ve gone back as the home nations and got a really solid block of training under our belts.

“We’re all working very hard together and hoping for some big things here. We’re not thinking that we are a year out from Rio all the time, but it is in the back of your mind and we want to start to really gel and put some good performances out there.

“The likes of Holland and Germany will be here, so there’s no place better to start.”

The Unibet EuroHockey Championships 2015, featuring both England’s men’s and women’ teams, takes place between 21-30 August at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Tickets available at www.eurohockey2015.co.uk